


Book 4: Blood

by WumpusWoo



Category: Bloodborne (Video Game), The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Holy crap theres a ton of blood, M/M, Other, Some language probably., This is bloodborne after all, like so much blood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WumpusWoo/pseuds/WumpusWoo
Summary: There was a city once. Before the great divide of Human and Elf kind. A city of unity, of prosperity, of knowledge. That city and its story is a lie.Peace talks have begun between the Human Kingdoms and Xadia. Rayla, Callum and Ethari have retrieved Runaan's coin from Virens old office, and plan to return him to his rightful form. However, Aaravos and Claudia have gone missing, and resurrected Viren. Now, the star-touched elf dreams, searching for an old friend...from long long ago.
Relationships: Alfred/The Hunter (Bloodborne), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Ethari/Runaan (The Dragon Prince), The Hunter/Original Female Character
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So, back onto my bullshit once again, after not writing for a LONG time. I'll solely be focusing on this story only before I write anything else, as my goal for this summer is to finish at least one story, and I'm doing this one. Well, here we go again. 
> 
> I know officially Season 4 will be called "Earth" Here's the thing. IdowhatIwant.
> 
> Also, Black Lives Matter. Do what you can to help, no matter what.

_It was the end of the nightmare. They're shared dream, burning away. Their one respite from the horrors of the old city was being cast aflame, as to mark the end of the hunt._

_The human and the elf glanced at each other, with the former having their face covered by the mask of the hat they wore. The garb of the Hunter was meant to protect both body, mind and identity after all, for the most part. However, the elf had no such qualms about protecting their face. He reveled in his beauty, as he was wholly unique among his entire kind, more connected to the stars than his own race of Elves._

_They approached the doll, the lone tall caretaker of this dream. The one who had aided them in this dream. "Hunters, you have come." It began to speak. "Dawn will soon break... This night, and this dream, will end. Gehrman awaits you, at the foot of the great tree."_

_"Tell us, is the workshop still usable? Are we able to enter with no injury befalling us?" Asked the star-touched elf. The doll looked at him. "Yes, my intelligent hunter. The flames shall not harm you. If you must enter, you may do so."_

_"Then step aside." Spoke the elf arrogantly. He brushed off the Doll and strolled into the burning building. The human stayed behind, with the doll. "Do you have further business in the workshop, my good hunter?" asked the Doll._

_They shook their head, as if to say no. "I see. You have prepared as much as you wish to. Then..." She seemed to pause, as if to ask something. "No, it is nothing." The Hunter nodded, then sat down on the stairs and pulled out a book, their journal. The book, an old, leather-back book, with additional papers sewn in, causing the book to appear heavily damaged and modified. The hunter pulled out a small pencil, and began to write. The doll watched as her Good Hunter wrote in this book, detailing their thoughts, experiences, words. She continued to watch as they pulled out a small photograph detailing 4. Three she knew, for they were her hunters. Her Intelligent hunter, in all his splendor. Her Skilled Hunter, with all of her grace and cunning. Finally, her Good Hunter, with a fire in their eyes. She did not recognize the fourth member of the photograph. A young man, in the white garb of an executioner. He must be one of the few who hunted the people of the castle Cainhurst, the clan the woman she was based off of hailed. It seemed that they had found a working camera, and the Hunters had taken a photo together. She eyed her Good Hunter tenderly holding the hands of both the Executioner and the Skilled Hunter. How curious, the lives of living beings._

_Her intelligent hunter stepped outside of the burning workshop, looking pleased with himself. "What are you doing?" He asked the good hunter. They glanced at the elf, before putting away the book and dropping the photograph into the fire. "Nothing. Let us see Gehrman." The Good Hunter spoke. Their voice was soft, yet coursed and rough like gravel, impossible to determine their gender._

_The two hunters then walked down the path away from the workshop. They felt the little caretakers of the dream moan and pat at their feet. These messengers, the malformed, tiny things they were, worshiped the two and bemoaned the loss of the third. The Good Hunter smiled behind their mask as the little ones reached for them. The Intelligent one scowled, and kicked one aside. The Good Hunter glared at him, and both eyes met. Pale Blue met Yellow, fire in both. Yet soon, the Intelligent Hunter sighed, and walked away, towards the gate. The Good Hunter followed, passing the gate and into the field of flowers. They approached Gehrman, who, like the doll said, was sitting in his wheelchair at the foot of the great tree._

_"My Hunters, you've done well." He began to speak. " The night is near its end. Now I will show you mercy." Both hunters pondered at this, with the Good Hunter crossing their arms. "You will die, forget the dream, and awake under the morning sun. You will be freed from this terrible Hunter's Dream." Both of them stepped back. Die? Forget the dream? What did that mean? What to choose? They had fought for so long in this night, seen the worst of what only could be described as Hell could conjure. They had lost themselves to the hunt, and had learned the terrible truth. They had cut, scratched, kicked, bled, spat and slain throughout the nightmare, and had lost their dear friends to it. What to choose?_

_These questions were only asked by the Good Hunter, for the Intelligent Hunter spoke, "I accept." The Good Hunter started at him in pure disbelief, he never pegged their friend to be a coward! "Farewell, my Intelligent Hunter. Fear the Blood." Spoke the old man as he began to rise from his chair. The Intelligent Hunter knelt before Gehrman, watched by his friend. A flash of light..._

Aaravos gasped as he fell, covered in the slime of his cocoon. He couldn't see, nor hear, but he could feel the young girl scramble to help him to his feet, along with his pawn Viren. Despite him being newly reborn, his senses were fast returning as he could hear the muffled voices of the two humans. "...get....bed..."

"Obviously....dad!...Horns....scales....heavier..." Remember, returning, not returned yet. He felt the soft fur of a bed on his back as he was laid done, and a fur blanket was put upon him. His eyes were blurry, he blinked and rubbed them to clear. 

The two humans looked worse for wear compared to the last time he saw both of them. Viren had been heavily scarred, his face pale. His daughter had thinned, and two thirds of her hair were stained white, most likely due to the effects of Dark Magic affecting her body. "He's awake! Told you he'd be fine." Claudia nudged her father, who scowled at her. "I believed you! Just...wanted to be cautious that's all."

"Where...where are we?" Aaravos asked. "In a cave near Del Bar, in the dead swamp. No one's looking for us here." Claudia spoke. "Plus, I thought moving you to a more humid place might do you good during your...y'know..." She began to act like a bug cocooning herself, much to the annoyance of her father, and to the amusement of the Star Touched elf. "I'm sorry about my Daughter, her sense of humor hasn't managed to leave after 4 months of being on the run!" Her father hissed at her when he spoke the word "Run". "

"Well, excUuUuse me for, y'know, resurrecting you from the dead! Your welcome by the way!"

"If we hadn't moved out of the initial cave, the enemy would still think I'm dead!"

"Well, if we hadn't moved out of that smelly ass place, we would've been found regardless! His glowing bug thingy!" She pointed to the elf "wasn't helping!" She continued to glare at her father. "I got the merchant to smuggle us to Duren, remember?"

"Who then sold us out to the local guard for 5 gold and a tart." Claudia's cheek turned scarlet in embarrassment.

"I thought we wouldn't mention that again, Dad." However, before the two of them could continue, Aaravos began to laugh. The two looked at him in confusion, as he continued to cackle at their expense. "Aaah...you two remind me of some old friends. Bickering like this, like children." He began to stand himself up.

"I am no child..." Viren's words faded away as he and Claudia stared aghast at Aaravos. In confusion, the Star Touched elf conjured himself a mirror, and observed his new form. The first thing he noticed were the legs, or lack there off. Where once was limbs, now there stool tendrils dozens of tentacles slithered down to the cave-floor, attached to his waist. Where his hips were, fur grew. His horns were larger and sharper, and on his back, he could feel small nubs signifying the possible growth of wings. 

"Unexpected..." Began the elf, before he snapped his fingers and robes appeared onto his naked form, clothing him. "But not unwelcome." He then willed his new tendrils to come together, and they did so, as if it was done a million times before. Good to know he had full control over his new form from the get go. As he conjured up some pants for himself for his new "legs" to fit into, he asked the two humans "I assume that you two would have formed some type of plan?"

"Well...about that..."

"We got nothing." Her father quickly turned to her in anger, and she shrugged. "It's the truth! We thought up any and all possibilities on our next steps, and we got nothing. No funds, no influence, no army. We only got the clothes on our back and dark magic. "

"As brash as my daughter is, she speaks true. We tried to come up with any schemes to remove our enemies from power, but to no avail. Then we tried to think up a way to secure our own power, but also to no avail."

"I still say we should form our own pirate crew and take over the kingdoms by force."

"Claudia, we've been over this a million times. First of all, I won't let you mingle with common riff-raff. Second, how would we be a pirate on land?"

"It's a dream dad, and it's the perfect idea! Sky Pirates are the ultimate idea ever!" She pouted and mockingly turned her back to her father, who groaned in annoyance.

"As amusing as you two continue to be, we do need to get moving. I have an idea for our next move." The elf addressed them. "Have any of you two heard the tales of the ancient city in the north?" Viren's eyes narrowed, as Claudia raised an eyebrow. Aaravos smirked. "It seems that one of you does." 

"What are you talking about?" Claudia asked. The ex-archmage of katolis addressed his daughter. "The old city in the north is a fairy tale, one of the few universal stories between humans and elves. Before our kind was thrust out of Xadia, there was a city in the northern mountains where Humans and Elves lived in peace. However, long before the Humans began to know the tyranny of the elves it burned down to the ground."

"And do you know why it burnt?" Aaravos slithered around Viren and Claudias necks. "No one does. Too many interpretations. Some claim that a revolt got out of hand, others say invasion, and there's evidence to suggest some old lady's cow tipped over a lantern."

"Not all bad guesses. But do you want to know the real reason why?" He leaned into both of their ears. "To flush out a plague." As both Father and Daughter gasped, Aaravos continued. "The old plague of Yharnum, is a deadly thing to behold. It would be quite a shame if it was discovered to still exist." He pulled away. "Come now." He began to walk towards the mouth of the cave. "It is time to find...an old friend of mine."

* * *

_The body of the Moon Presence burst into brilliant white light as the Good Hunter gasped for breath._

_They panted. Out of vials, out of bullets, close to death, but they won. The hunt had ended. They had come for the cure to their sickness, and found hell in return. They fought through the worst of the worst, and won. They lost friends, lovers, acquiescence, mentors, but they won. They ended the Hunters Nightmare, and fixed the mistakes of the past, and won. They fought three great ones, and won. They ended the Hunt, set Yharnum ablaze, they won._

_The blade fell to the ground as they keeled over and coughed, blood shot out of their mouth. The Good Hunter sick, tired. They then collapsed, darkness consuming his vision. But then...THEY could SEE!_

_Oh how they could see! Everything, now everything made sense! All the blood, the insight, the secrets, it all made sense! The secrets of the cosmos were now Theirs alone!! The faint voice it could hear, it reminded them of someone...who? No matter, they could see now! But the voice that was faint, it was so clear now._

_"Oh, good hunter."_


	2. Negotiations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is done two day's after the first chapter. Mmkay. 
> 
> Black Lives Matter. It shouldn't be controversial to say, it's common sense.

When the Dragon Queen, Zubeia, declared that the upcoming negotiations were to take place on the border of Xadia and the Human Kingdoms, the statement was taken as "controversial". Elves hated it because they thought that the Humans would stab them in the back and harvest their bodies for their dark magic. Humans hated it because they thought that the elves would send their assassins to their kingdoms and destroy their governments, demoralizing the Pentarchy even further then its current volatile state. It was only due to the work done by the boy king Ezran, who only a month ago had aided in the returning of the Dragon Prince, were tensions somewhat simmered and the two sides saw the wisdom in Ezran and Zubeia's words. The Border, a scar in the land that symbolized years of hatred, violence and fear, would be the perfect place to burn those old feelings away and usher in a new age of peace, love, and cooperation. 

The Human Pentarchy and Elven leaders were designated to arrive at the same time, as proposed by King Ezran and the Dragon Queen herself. In a set order, A human kingdom and a corresponding elven race were to enter at the same time. First, the Del Bar would walk with the Skywing elves, as both lived in the colder lands up north. Next, Duren and Earthblood elves, as they both were heavily focused on the land they walked. Third, the kingdom of Evenere entered along with the Tidebound, though there was difficulty in getting the two to cooperate. Both the Humans of Evenere and the Tidebound elves were known to be proud, and stubborn due to their harsh conditions. Neolandia and the Sunfire elves then were next, and they were even harder to get to cooperation, as the Prince of Neloandia, Kasef, had been a leader in the attack on the Storm Spire, and had aided in the theft of their "Heat-Mode" gift. Finally, the Kingdom of Katolis walked with the Moonshadow elves, partly due to their recent complicated history. All remembered the assassination of King Harrow by the Moonshadow elves, in retaliation for his killing of the Dragon King. The Citizens of the kingdom hated too the elves, as they remembered that the King committed that action in revenge for the murder of his wife, done by the Dragon King. True, the reason she was killed was also complicated, but that was neither here nor there. What mattered was making peace, and that was that. The only race of elves not to arrive were the star-touched elves, as they had been noted as missing for many years, not making contact with their elven kin.

The building they now stood in, the Temple of the White Poppy, was built in record time, by a joint delegation of workers sent from the Earthblood elves and Duren. Led by Queen Aanya and the matriarch of the Earthblood elves, Gaia, the construction was done with a combination of Elven magic and human invention. Elves laid the foundation, Human provided the planning. Elves made the materials, Humans fitted it better for the situation. With their combined efforts, the hall would stand as a testament to the power of cooperation, and as a monument to all those who lives had been lost by needless bloodshed and hatred. The hall was large, about the size of the Castle of Katolis, and had a domelike structure. When one entered through the main (And only) entrance, they would be greeted by a large hallway, decorated by tapestry and works of art done by both Humans and Elves. The hallway would have numerous offshoots leading to guest rooms, kitchens, bathrooms (Indoor plumbing was a human invention, one that the elves were fascinated by), observatories, and many more features. All of these off-shoots, and the main pathway, would lead one to the main room, the attraction if one would call it that. On the top level of the building, a large, circular room was built. The table was massive, round in shape, as to make no one sit at the head of it. Designated places for the rulers to sit were assembled, and the thrones all sat at were modified to match their culture and identity. The roof was left open, with several massive perches constructed on the top of the dome, for the Dragon Queen and her son to sit and join in the discussions. 

Now, the negotiations could begin. Peace between the two races could finally commence. 

The council waited for the Dragon Queen to land on the perch provided to her far above outside so she could peer into the room. As she did so, the Dragon Prince flew into the room and towards the young King Ezran. Colliding into his arms, he licked the giggling boy's face in affection.

"*Cough-Cough*" Cleared the voice of one Camila, current ruler of Neolandia, after her father was put into a coma and her brother died in the battle of the Storm Spire. Ezran chuckled a little, before letting go of Azymondias, and the hatchling returning to the side of his mother, who nuzzled him affectionately. 

"I now call this meeting...to order." Whispered the queen, as her voice was so naturally loud she had to speak softly, lest she destroy the eardrums of the other beings below her. Ezran rose from his seat, and cleared his throat. "I thank all of you for coming. I know that Humans and Elves have never had the best of relations before. But right now, we need to put that behind us, and focus on a new age of peace and love." Ezran took a breath, before he sat down. If he expected to hear resounding applause and a standing ovation, he was disappointed.

"A nice speech, King Ezran," spoke Aanya, child queen of Duren, who was around the same age. "But a few words cannot fix generations of animosity. Even now, I am sure that we all have doubts about these talks." 

"I concur with the human girl." Spoke the leader of the Tidebound elves, named Milzezoth. "We shall not believe the words of humans."

"Pardon me, lord Milzezoth, but I am the queen of my kingdom." Responded Aanya. "And I never said that I wouldn't participate in the talks." 

"Insolent Child!" Roared Milzezoth as he stood up from his seat. All around the room, the guards began to draw their weapons. "Do you not see me? I am a lord!"

"Yes, and yet I am the one acting like an adult here." Responded Aanya. "Now, shall you sit down, before these talks end prematurely?" Milzezoth stood there, speechless, before sighing and reluctantly sitting down, allowing the guards to let go of their weapons and resume their previous stances. "Now, as I was saying before, I don't think that your truly understand what's at stake here, King Ezran. How do you expect us to simply talk away years upon years of hatred?" Aanya asked. Ezran stayed silent, before saying "I don't". 

"Oh?"

"Your right, we can't just talk about our problems and forgive them. I used to think that when I first became King. But I've learned that it takes work, hard work, to fix what we need to fix. So I will talk, knowing that I need to do more, and I will do more until Peace has been achieved." The room stayed silent, as all looked on Ezran in awe of his maturity. 

"Well spoken, King Ezran." Aanya said after a period of silence. Ezran gave a small smile. "I try."

"Now, before we begin, I must ask you Queen Zubeia" asked the leader of the Skywings, Quaw, "Where is your Dragonguard? Why is she not here?"

"My noble dragonguard is...indisposed at the moment with her own mission. She will return soon." Softly spoke Zubeia, smiling to herself.

**XXX**

"Ugh!" Callum grunted as he fell down once again, his back hitting the stone floor of the arena. This part of the temple was Soren's idea, as he suggested that sometimes, the soldiers might want to let out a little steam, hit each other and make friends that way. And so, the ampitheatre was created. A sparring room for warriors of all races and kingdoms. Here, one could train in new ways of combat, find a unlikely ally, or test themselves against another. This day, it would be shown to the ambassadors of each kingdom and race, as a way to further unite and find common ground together, and Callum had the first use of it, along with a special someone.

"Ye kept starring Callum." Rayla said as she walked over to him, one of her blades hanging from her side and the other in her hand. "Ya get distracted in a battle, you'll lose yer life."

"Can't help getting distracted when I got the most beautiful woman ever teaching me." She blushed before smirking, putting a hand to her hips as she stood above him. "Flattery ain't gettin ya nowhere."

"Worth a shot." He grunted as he was pulled up by Rayla. Groaning, he held his side as he picked up a moonshadow blade from the ground. It was quite different than other longswords he had seen before. It was long, a thin grip, and large crossguard. Ethari explained that it was a traditional Moonshadow long-blade, with the original having the capability to transform into a larger blade. All children who train with assassins are expected to learn how to wield this type of blade, as the longsword is common. Only then, once able to properly wield a longsword, due they train and specialize themselves with any other archetype of weapon. Very few elves would continue to use the longsword, as it could be heavy and cumbersome for assassinations, made especially true with it's transformation. All Moonshadow weapons transformed into a new form, explained the tinkerer, for they were modeled after the old weapons of the first Moon-Shadow elves. 

"Care te try again? And this time, pay attention." Rayla spoke sternly, snapping Callum out of his thoughts. Nodding, he prepared his stance. The reason they were sparring: Callum had to know how to use a weapon. In Moonshadow culture, lovers were expected to be able to defend the other if need be. That, and Rayla wanted to assure that Callum would know how to fight with a sword if he ever needed to, as his Magic wouldn't always be able to save him in time. 

"Alright, come at me!" Rayla shouted, and Callum charged. He swung...only to be dodged with no effort by Ralya. He kept up the assault, swinging wildly at her, all to no avail, as she kept sidestepping and parrying his blows. He panted as he looked for an oppening, and smirked. Yelling with determination, he swung for her feet...only for her to step on the blade. "What wa that?"

"Uh...sweeping the leg?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that saying it ain't a real thing."

"Yeah I know...but this is!" Callum shouted as he cast "Aspiro!" onto the blade, jerking it up and knocking Rayla off balance. With a yelp, she fell to the floor onto her back, Callum pointing the tip of the blade at her throat. "I win!"

"Wa-that's cheaten! Ain't suppose ta use magic inna sword fight!"

"You never said not to. All you said was to adapt and find a way to win, am I right?" Callum smirked at seeing Rayla roll her eyes. "Aye, I did say that." With that, Callum removed the tip of the blade from her throat and helped her get up, only to be pushed back down onto the ground. With a grunt, he landed, only to have Rayla get on top of him. "Now, I win."

"Oh, so who's cheating now huh?"

"Like ya said, adapting to win." She giggled as she kissed him, something he returned in full force. It had only been a month since they revealed their feelings to each other, and since then the two of them had felt on top of the world. Finally, things felt like they made sense! They stayed with each other as long as they could, always desperate to stay in each others company. Kisses that soon developed into full out makeout sessions...were growing more commonplace. Something that, while he loved to see his almost-daughter be happy, wasn't necessary for the moment in Ethari's mind.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked the two, as he stepped into the room. Immediately the two stop, eyed the elder Moonshadow elf, and quickly got off of each other, cheeks ruby red. As they stood before Ethari, hands behind their backs in shame, he smirked to himself seeing the Human prince stammer and murmur to himself in pure nervousness. "Sir Ethari-sir! I am sososososorry this happened and-"

"Peace Callum, it's alright. I'm sorry for interrupting your...training." He giggled to himself as the human grew even redder and Rayla groaned his name in embarrassment. "You know Callum, back in the village all the boy's wanted to be with Rayla. Sure, they're were other girls, but Ralya was the quickest and the cleverest, and the most skilled student of them all. Every day, someone approached her during her training, and every-time she sent them away."

"Ethari..."

"She alway's said 'I'm focusing on my training! I've no time for socializing!'"

"Ethari! Please stop!"

"I'm just saying, that you, Callum, melted my niece's heart and that is soo precious to see~" That had done it. The prince's body had turned pure red, and he began to wobble and lose balance. Rayla was about to go to a pot, shrink down, and never leave. Ethari couldn't handle it anymore, he laughed at their expressions. The opportunity to tease the two was too strong to resist! As his laughter settled down, he spoke again. "As much as it was fun messing you two, I did come here for a reason. The spell worked!"

"Really?!" Rayla quickly recovered from the ashes of her shame and humiliation, and perked up along with Callum. Ethari nodded. "He's sleeping right now, but I was able to reverse the spell that Viren had done. Runaan's free from the coin." He finished with a smile. It had been a...day, when he met once again with Rayla and Callum, who invited him to the peace talks in the temple. When they brought Runaan's coin, they explained that it was found in Virens office, alongside a stash of other coins, filled with people that had mysteriously vanished, both human and elf. Sadly, Rayla's parents were not among them.

It was an even grander shock when Ethari discovered the two's new relationship. That had required him to sit down for a moment, to think...and also to scream into a pillow for a minute. However, he quickly got over this new layer of mistrust as he got to know the young prince. Kind, funny, honest, Callum was far from what a standard Moonshadow elf man would be. Yet somehow, he couldn't picture Rayla ever getting with any other Moonshadow Elf. He only could see Callum, and he was fine with that. He liked Callum, he loved Rayla, she was his niece after all! He raised her from childhood to the young woman she was now, and he only wished for her to be happy. 

"How long will he sleep?" asked the boy. 

"I don't know. My guess, a few day's." Rayla sniffed back a tear, and wiped her face. Callum then hugged her, an act she returned. 

"Man, things are looking for us now! I bet everything's going to work out from now on!"

* * *

_Far away_

"My dear Claudia, thank you for finding that flower." Aaravos smiled as Claudia handed him the lumenflower. Lumenflower were rare plants, found only in areas considered close to the energy of the moon. An energy that Aaravos desperately needed right now. 

"Yeah, sure...hey, just so we're clear with all this going on. What's the flower for exactly?" Asked Claudia, her eyebrow raised underneath the white half of her hair. Aaravos smiled in response, and began to ground up the flower alongside the other ingredient. "If I am to contact my friend, I will need this potion. It will send me into a deep dreaming state, where I will go where I once was a guest off."

''Guest? Dreaming? What are you talking about? Are you just tricking us to giving you some form of power?" Viren demanded. The father and daughter were very agitated with the star-touched elf at the moment, as he had them getting random ingredients, such as the aforementioned flower, a bottle of sun-water, a scale of a Sea-Snake, the fur of a wolf, and other random items. 

"I assure you my good friend, I am not deceiving you. I never lie." He responded as he shook up the ground ingredients in a vial, combining it. Once that was done, he drew his knife, and slit his wrist. As Claudia and Viren watched in disgust, the elf let the blood flow into the vial, into the powder, creating a sickly looking potion. He then, with a wave of his hand, closed and healed the wound. Walking over to one of the small bedding they had, he sat down. His tentacle lower half slithering around the feet of his human companions, he spoke. "Watch my body as I am dreaming. Stay safe, stay quiet." Shaking the bottle lightly, he muttered "Bottoms up" as he chugged down the concoction. As he swallowed, he felt dreary, tired...he was falling...

**XXX**

and he awoke. As he quickly rose, the first thing he noticed were that his lower half were once again legs. Normal legs. Good to know. As he observed his surroundings, he saw the Hunters Dream. Unchanged, untouched, all the same as before. With the obvious exception of not being on fire.

He walked down the path, the stone pebbled path, and saw the messengers greet him from the floor. They moaned in shock and excitement at his presence, and began to pat his feet. He smirked and bent down to pat one on the head. It writhed in happiness as he did so, as if he would never wash it's own head again. He continued on, to the doll.

"My intelligent hunter. You have returned."

"Are you surprised, my dear?" The doll was silent for a moment, but only a moment. "Yes, I am. It should not be possible for one who has left the dream, to return."

"My dear, I am all about defying the impossible."

"So you say." The two of them stayed silent for a few seconds, before Aaravos spoke again. "Are they still here?"

"Yes. The good Hunter has remained in the dream."

"and I suppose old Gehrman didn't take lightly to it?"

"Gehrman has been freed, and his puppeteer has been usurped. The Good Hunter, now resides in the dream as it's host and lord."

"They always did have the drive to defy the gods themselves." He muttered to himself. "May I see them? I would be rude to ignore my old friend."

"The Good Hunter is resting. It would be unwise to disturb them."

"Yet, you will not stop me from doing so?" He questioned.

"...No."

"I thought as so." He said. He then stepped around the Doll, towards the workshop. Lifting his hand onto the door, he felt the scratches and chips in the old wood. He smiled, oh how times have passed since he was last here. With great effort, he pushed open the door and entered the building. The workshop was the same as before, exactly the same. The alter in the back, the workbench on the right, the table to the left, books everywhere. Nothing had changed. As he ran his finger over an old Saw Cleaver, he spotted...the badge. A few frame had been constructed, with one holding the badges of the Hunters. Another, an old photograph. Of younger times, when they were Hunters. That old photo still survived, to this day. He ran his fingers along it, seeing how young he was once. How energetic Liliana once was, how kind Alfred was, how determined-

His thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed his neck and threw him out the door. As he grunted in pain as he hit the ground, his felt the hands of his old friend grasp his neck and slam him onto the fountain. The messengers ducked into the water, desperate to get away. As he chocked, he looked upon the covered up face of his old Friend. "Hello, my friend." He chocked out.

The Good Hunter did not seem to care, as they continued to choke Aaravos. The Star-touched elf gasped for breath, as he struggled to get out the words "I...need...your...help..."

"Speak. Coward." There they spoke. That same, gravelly, rough voice that made it impossible to tell what sex they were. Only Aaravos knew, and that would be something he would never tell. The Hunter's grip stopped increasing, but stayed strong. "I would...if you would let me go..." as he continued to gasp and pant, the Hunter continued to glare. Aaravos felt his breath leave and then his sight...everything grew dark...

Air. Air quickly entered his lungs as he fell to the ground, gasping for breath. "Talk." Asked the Hunter. Aaravos quickly recovered, and after standing up and dusting off the dirt, spoke. "Well, that is one way to great an old friend, is it not?"

"We are not friends, not anymore."

"Well, may I ask why?"

"You fled. Like a coward."

"I did not flee." Aaravos grit his teeth. "I know what you must think of me, but I didn't flee. I still remember the events of the dream. Before we spoke with Gehrman, when you, Liliana and I found the old shop in the waking world, I stumbled upon Gehrmans diary. I knew that he would try to release us, so I crafted a potion right before he gave us the option. The potion allowed me to retain my memory, and I left. I assumed you too would come with me, but we both know that didn't happen"

"..." The Hunter continued to glare at Aaravos. The elf growled back, but not after looking at the Hunter. After all these years, they still stayed the same. They still wore the garb of a hunter, wore the cap of a hunter, still had those ice-blue eyes, still covered their face. All the same. "May I ask, how did you stay the same after all these years? I clearly aged, yet you didn't. Makes one curious, don't you think?"

"Does it matter?" The Hunter turned their back to Aaravos, and walked up to the workshop. "No, I suppose it doesn't." Aaravos mumbled, before following. The two walked through the buildign and out the side door, to be met by a small tea table and the Doll, waiting to serve. The Hunter quietly sat down, offering a tea cup for the doll to pour into. Aaravos followed his example. The Doll quickly poured the hot tea into both cups, and bowed to the Hunter. "Thank you, Marianne."

"You are welcome, O good hunter." With that, she walked away. Aaravos looked at his old friend, and asked "You named her?"

"She was made in the image of one. I named her similarly to her, but different. She is her own person." Replied the Hunter, to which Aaravos shrugged. "Can't argue with that, I suppose. The two are remarkably different." With that, the elf sipped his tea. He tasted the intricacies of the beverage, and hummed in delight. "Jasmine?"

"Lumenflower." Responded the Hunter, who's cup was half empty, yet they had not ever removed their mask. Quietly putting down their cup, they faced the elf, a glare in their eye. "Why have you come."

"Well, I suppose I should get to the point, you were never one to beat around the bush." Aaravos chuckled to himself, before speaking. "The world outside has changed drastically from when you were out of the dream. War has plagued the land, Humans have been tricked by Elves to leave Xadia behind and settle beyond. Now, they try to achieve peace, but that won't work. The fear and tyranny of my elven kin will destroy any hope of peace, and chaos will consume the land."

"Why is this my problem?" Aaravos sighed, of course he would have to try harder. "Recently, I have learned that a secret society of elven supremacists have...found the blood." That got the Hunter's attention. "Are you sure?"

"I never lie."

"..." The Hunter remained silent. Time for the big leap. "My friend..." began Aaravos. "I know what the blood means. The scourge could return to the land. The people have progressed backwards, and have not learned from the past, only using it for war and bloodshed! Help me my friend, to save this land from the Beastly Scourge!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reasons these notes are brief is because I'm tired and don't want to write anymore till the next day. Leave me alone.  
> So yeah, please comment. I live for the comments. Leave one, all of you, please. For my self-validation and confidence in myself.


	3. The Assault on the Bastion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took a bit longer to write this chapter, but oh well.
> 
> I've been replaying Dragon Age recently, and I have to say that I am sorely tempted to write a story for it. That, and Control. Both are good ass games. Also Dishonored. Fuck I have too many ideas I hate my own imagination. But the temptation will not overcome me.

Runaan groaned as his eyes fluttered open. His dreams...ugh they were awful! How long must he keep this up? Trapped in this coin, in the hands of some filthy human dark mage who meddled with a danger far beyond his understanding?! The doom of the world must be upon the world. He pinched his brow, groaning in exasperation, his eyes shut.

Wait, he was warm. Why was he so warm? Opening his eyes, he gasped as he saw where he was. A bed, a soft, white bed. He wore simple white clothes, and was in a plain room. Was this another nightmare sent by the Dark Mage, to torment him for his own sick pleasure? This couldn't be real, it was simply impossible...

The door opened, in stepped...no, this could not be! This had to be an illusion, some sort of sick torture designed by that human! Ethari could not be here, He could not be here! "Runaan!" Shouted the impostor as they rushed to their beloved, but where stopped by Runaan holding his hand out. 

"Runaan-"

"If you are real, tell me something that only my love would know."

"My moon-"

"Say something!" Ethari sighed. He should have expected this, his love was always a paranoid man, and he would most likely not believe his eyes if he was freed. Slowly approaching Runaan, he began to whisper something into his ear. If one stood in the same room as the two of them, they would not be able to even hear a hint of what was said. Runaan's eyes widened as he heard his husband whisper into his ear. Tears threatened to drop down from his eyes as he quietly spoke "It is real..." The assassin then buried his face into Etharis chest, weeping from an overflow of emotion, with the tinkerer returning the gesture in kind. This lasted several minutes, before the assassin removed himself from his lovers chest, their foreheads meeting. "How is this possible, how am I here?"

"We found you in that monsters office, and we used the power of the moon to free you."

"But...if you went into that office, then"

"The war. It's over. The Dragon Prince has been returned!" Ethari grinned at this prospect, but not so Runaan. Rather, he let himself free from his lovers arms, and sat down onto the bed. "So...Rayla was...right?"

"Yes my love, she was right, and she did it!" Ethari sat next to him, holding him close. "Much has happened since your mission, and many things have changed. You'll need to be caught up quickly so the council can hear your testimony."

"I'm sorry, council? Testimony?" The Tinkerer saw the confusions in his Assassin's eyes, alongside his entire body language and tone of voice. He sighed, before weakly smiling and spoke. "I'm...not the best person to tell you what has transpired in the past 3 months. I'm going to need some help." With that, he looked over to the door. On the other side of said door stood both Rayla and Callum, sitting on a small bench, with the former of the two going through what could only be described as a Nervous breakdown on Star-dust, which humans called "Crack". What a bizarre term. Why call a substance after a noise/destruction? Humans were so strange.

"I don't think I can do this Callum." She muttered to herself. Callum, in response, held her hand tighter. "I mean, we didn't part on the best of terms. What if he see's me and hates me fer abandoning the mission?! What if he curses me, and tries to ghost me again? What if-"

"Rayla, it'll be alright!" The prince at this point interrupted her. Holding her arms, he looked into her panicked eyes. "Listen, I know that your scared, but it'll be ok. He raised you, and you need this closure. And if he doesn't want to see you again, too bad for him because he will never see the most perfect, beautiful woman ever again."

"When'd you get ta be such a flatterer?"

"Ethari's been giving me lessons." Rayla groaned in embarrassment at the mention of her good-uncle, but managed to hide her smile. He was right, she had to do this. Standing up, she held Callum's hand tightly, before he asked "Ready?"

"Ready". With that, she opened the door, to meet Runaan's stern glare. Her fake smile widened as she muttered once again to herself "Ooooh I was so wrong..."

**XXX**

It was but an hour later when the two teenagers finished their recount of their adventure's to Runaan, who listened in silence, asking nay a question. Once they ended the recounting, Runaan responded with a simple grunt. "Hmm."

"...That it? That's yer response?" Rayla asked. He said nothing. Her eyes narrowed in frustration. "We almost Died, several times! We tell you what happened these past 3 months while you were trapped in a coin, and all you say is 'hmm'?"

"Rayla-"

"I say that because I am processing." Runaan interrupted his husband. Looking up at his adopted daughter, he sighed. "It is...difficult for me to believe what you have just said." He then stood up, looking down at Rayla (due to his height), and spoke. "But I understand your frustration, and I do believe you."

"Runaan..." Rayla sniffled, tears leaking, before leaping into the arms of her uncle, the two embracing. "I am sorry I ever doubted you Rayla. You have proven yourself more worthy to call yourself Moonshadow than I." Ethari smilled as he joined in, the three of them reunited. Callum stood by the sidelines, watching in happiness. Ethari noticed this, and moved the group towards him. "Oh, nononononono-" the prince stammered before he was forcibly added into the hug. "Ok, this is happening right now." As he made an attempt to join in properly, Runaan quickly broke the hug and glared at Callum. The boy laughed nervously, slowly backing away. "Now, tell me why I should gut you where you stand for...dating my niece!"

If one was outside the room, they would hear the panicked yells of one Human Prince, who was being chased by an angry Elf Uncle, all the while an Elf Girl chastised the Uncle and tried to save her boyfriend. The fourth one laughed, hard.

* * *

The Lunar Grotto was far from what the name suggested. Rather than a small cave, it was instead an entire fortress, fortified with over 100 Elite Moonshadow elves, all armed to the teeth and trained for all their lives, in a sole effort to defend this fortress. The bastion was large, 1000 feet in length and over 10 stories tall. If one could compare it to something, an entire castle would come up short in terms of defenses. On the fortifications stood ballista after ballista, all primed and ready to fire at moments notice. Archers stood ever-watchful in the 3 watchtowers, all with deadly accuracy. This fortress was designed to withstand any assault, whether by human or elf hands, and was meant to defend something...precious to the culture of the Moonshadow Elf. 

At the front gates, two moonshadow elves in leather armor stood, spears held lazily upwards. When the two of them were assigned to this post, they didn't expect much action. That was fine with them, no doubt about it, they weren't much for being assassins or spies. But they didn't expect this assignment to be so...boring.

"Hey." The first one asked, he was tall and lanky for a moonshadow elf.

"Yeah?" The second one was short and larger, also strange for a moonshadow elf. 

"You ever wonder why we're here?"

"It's one of life's great mysteries isn't it? Why are we here? I mean, are we the product of some cosmic coincidence, or are there really Gods or spirits watching everything? You know, plans for us and stuff. I don't know, man, but it keeps me up at night." The two of them stared at each other in complete, utter silence, before the tall one spat out "What?! I mean why are we out here at the gate, instead of getting dinner or something?"

"Oh...uh, yeah."

"What was all that stuff about gods?"

"Uh...mm...nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?"

"No."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

The tall one looked at his companion, eyes wary, before looking away and returning to their previous position. The two of them stayed like that for a minute, before the tall one spoke again. "Seriously though, why are we out here? As far as I can tell, the commander just said to do something productive."

"Yep."

"So, why did we come outside and guard the gate? No one comes without us knowing about it, so why did we just go 'Oh hey, you know what we should do? Guard the gate when it doesn't matter because we're moonshadow elves and we see better than other people.'"

"Excellent mockery of ourselves." 

"I'm serious, no one's ever coming here unless it's a relief! Why are we just standing around and talking then, when we could, I don't know, do anything else!?! Maybe I want to write a story, or play a song, maybe I'll take up gardening! Why are we just standing around, talking?!?!" 

The short one looked at him, and with the most deadpan voice imaginable, he said "We have nothing better to do." 

"...eh, fair enough." They then stood in silence, watching the misty road. Wait, why was it misty, it was a clear day! The two looked up, only to see that the day...had turned to night, the moon blood red. 

_Tap Tap Tap Tap_

Footsteps. They heard footsteps down the road. Readjusting their grip on the spears, they pointed it towards the misty road, aiming at whoever was down there. "Halt!"

The mist continued. From it, a shape formed out of nothing. Black as the night in color, it was murky looking, but gained solidity and form as it walked closer and closer. It then stood before them, and the two could see what had come.

It was...a person. Human or elf, they could not tell. They wore a black leather outfit, in a strange style almost human make in origin. It wore a strange pointed leather hat, and had a mask that covered all but their eyes, which were a frighteningly pale blue. The tall one pointed their spear at the figure, and stood his ground. "Stay where you are Human! You stay right there!"

The human said nothing in response. It only walked closer more. The other one joined in, aiming their spear at the figure. "I said stay where you are! You move any closer and you'll regret it!" The human stopped. It then...spoke. A ghastly voice, gravelly and course, inhuman. 

"I am sorry, child." Before the two could question further, the human unsheathed their weapon, an unholy fusion of saw and cleaver, and swung, bisecting the head of the Tall one. "By the moon!" The short one screamed before the Saw Cleaver cut itself into the top of his head. They gurgled, before the Monster ripped it's blade out of the skull. They then advanced, walking past the corpses. 

Inside, more Moonshadow elves. They had seen everything, and the alarm was sounded. A roaring bell clanged and clanged, alerting it's inhabitants of attack! The figure walked slowly, brandishing their bloody blade. A posse of guards met him, all brandishing dual blades, numbering 18. They roared, and charged. The Monster flicked his weapon, unfolding it to gain additional length, and met them. They dodged, sidestepped, and parried like the wind, never being touched by these masters of the blade. For every slice that an elf made, it was easily avoided, and met with their own deadly cut, which went through them like butter. A slash would bisect one's head from their shoulders, another would cut two in half. It was a monstrous display of cruel, cold, efficiency. The Monster cared not for the screams of pain, the howls and gurgles of the dying. They kept cutting, and slashing, and dodging. They then felt a sharp stinging, an arrow protruding from their shoulder. They ripped it out with nary a sound made, and turned to see where it came from. Up on the ramparts, 10 more elves with bows, all sweating from their own fear. This...beast, ignored a poisoned arrow. 

The Monster blitzed towards the ladder with frightening speed, climbing it with lightning pace and coming down onto the Elves. They simply slaughtered all they saw with no mercy given. Once the ramparts had been cleared, they moved for the towers. They ran quickly, making sure to avoid the ballista fire from the towers they sought for. Making their way to the closest one, they entered the doorway. It was a thin tower, with a winding staircase made of stone going up several stories. They slowly made their way up, killing any who opposed them. They then pulled out something hanging from their back, some tubular and large form of a crossbow. It aimed it at one particular elf holding her own on the stairway, and pulled the trigger. A bang, and the elf fell, a gaping bloody hole in her chest. They continued on, making it to the top, where 5 elves stood, scarred shirtless. The Monster simply killed them without a second thought. It then turned their attention to the ballista. Three massive arrows, primed and ready for firing. They grabbed hold of the aiming mechanism, and turned it towards the second tour. Without a moment wasted, they fired the first arrow. It fired fast, screaming in the air as it aimed for the base of the tower. It hit true, and the tower collapsed, taking with it all the elves inside of it. The tower the Monster was in was populated by 20, they assumed the same for the other towers. They followed up with aiming at the third, and destroyed it all the same. One arrow left.

30\. 30 were left. It then heard shouting from below. Turning it's gaze down, the monster spied the remaining elves fleeing for the main hall, closing it behind the last one to enter. There, there in the main hall would the path to their mission would be found.

Inside the main hall, one E'vana Iritash shouted for the barricades to be put in faster, for more tables to be slammed onto the door, anything to prevent that...THING from getting inside. Elvana was lieutenant to the commander of the fort, who died fighting that Monster in the main courtyard. She had not been so foolhardy to charge, she was always more of a thinker than a fighter. But she would not be called a coward! She needed a plan, she would not let it end here! She would not die in this building, afraid of one man, after she had done so much! Endured so much pain from her parents for denying her who she was! "Everyone! Get your positions ready!"

"But sir, there's no way it can make it in now!" The soldier who questioned her was assumed to be correct. The large door was heavily fortified with whatever they could find. Planks, rocks, tables, chairs, anything large and sturdy. 

"Yeah? Well we didn't think a single bloody human could kill most of us, and look what happened!" She hissed, before pushing the soldier towards their comrades. She then addressed the remaining soldiers. "I need ten to get down to the vault! Whatever that monster's after, it cannot retrieve the relic!  
She pointed to ten soldiers, and directed them to get moving towards the vault. They ran into the halls of the fortress towards the vault. "Get in formation! Phalanx!" The remaining 20 did so, drawing their weapons while those in spears aimed at the door. Silence, nothing but the hissing and crackles of the torches, and the pants and fearful breathing of the elves.

Before anyone could react, the door burst open violently! Dust and debris filled the room, and everyone screamed as they shielded themselves from the rubble. When the dust clear, they could see that the arrow of a ballista had opened the door, and next to this arrow stood the Monster.

2 men roared before charging, weapons raised high in the air. Before Elvana could stop them, the Monster easily side stepped their swings, and cut their throats. As the two men died in agony, the Monster turned to Elvana...and spoke. "I wish not for more death, child. I wish for my property."

"No more death? You speak of peace when you have slaughtered most of us like dogs!" She spat at them. It ignored the barb, and advanced slowly. Its demented weapon was soaked in the blood of her comrades, the strange crossbow was covered in soot at the front. "You will not kill anymore of us!" She shouted, and charged. She raised her dual hatchets, and met head on the Saw Cleaver. As the two clashed, her grey eyes met the eyes of the monster, a pale blue. It spoke. "I see you...you have suffered much. I will not kill you." Before she could react, they stepped to the side, causing Elvana to stumble, and with a bash to the head from the butt of their weapon, she blacked out.

**XXX**

When she came too, she screamed and backed away from the head of one of her comrades. As she got her bearings, her confusion turned to horror at the scene she witnessed.

Everyone was dead. Mangled and twisted, bloody. A few were impaled on large spikes of wooden debris. Horrible, no...ungodly. She felt like she had to vomit. What kind of monster would do this, and where were they now...

The relic! The Vault! That was where they would most likely go. Doing her best to ignore the violence, she made her way down the bloodsoaked halls to the vault. As she made her way, she heard screaming. She was close! She increased the speed of her sprint, doing her best to make it in time!

No. When she got to the vault, the remaining soldiers were dead. The vault door was open, and the Monster was inside. They grabbed the relic, an ancient curved sword with a tiny gap in the middle. The Twinblades of the first Moonshadow Elf, the basis for all twinblade weapons. The Monster casually released the two daggers, before fading into mist.

She fell to her knees. What...happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing fight scenes. Actually, I kinda suck at writing in general.  
> Elvana will return, for I have plans for her. Also she trans, so there's no confusion.  
> Please comment more, It fuels me. 
> 
> End note before I leave it off here for now. Aaravos said so in the last chapter, he never lies.

**Author's Note:**

> So, that's that for now. Expect update to be soon, possibly tomorrow. Hopefully.


End file.
